Basic ingredients:
- 8 Large eggs
- 1 loaf (13 to 16 oz) French bread or a package of croissant loaf
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups egg nog (or pumpkin spice creamer or half and half — I like to use egg nog)
- 1 oz maple syrup of choice (or if you want to do a blueberry flavor, blueberry syrup)
- 1 oz spiced rum
Slice the bread and layer into a buttered casserole dish, with two rows of bread overlapping slightly like you are about to shuffle them like a deck of cards. The pre-sliced croissant loaf is also a great choice. Either way leave crust on bread.
Mix above liquid ingredients the other spices I add depend on the flavor profile I want — always cinnamon and vanilla powder to taste, if I use pumpkin spice creamer I will add same spices as pumpkin pie recipe. If I go blueberry, will use blueberry instead of maple syrup.
Anyway, poor the liquid over the bread making sure it coats the surface of the bread top to bottom (I usually spoon back over to make sure every slice is coated). Put foil over the bread and egg mixture and let that sit in the fridge at least 4 hours, but usually overnight.
Topping (generally):
- 2 sticks of salted butter (I like the half sticks, room temp or at least not straight out of fridge, usually don’t use all of fourth half stick)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup salted chopped pecans
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder and other spice depending on flavor profile I want
- 2 tablespoons syrup (or jam or marmalade)
In a bowl, cut about half the butter into chunks and combine with other ingredients above with your fingers or a spoon (don’t use a mixer), adding more butter as needed to form a mushy crumble that sticks together but should not be a batter consistency — I tend to think two entire sticks is too much, especially if also adding a jam or marmalade. You can add quick cook oats to the topping if you want it crunchier. Put clumps of topping over top of casserole.
If you want to do this blueberry style, I put frozen blueberries (due to cook time) in between the bread slices and use blueberry syrup and fresh blueberries mixed in the topping (adding berries after the crumble is mixed). Blackberries soaked in spiced rum overnight or blackberry jam or orange marmalade in lieu of syrup also make a tasty add to the topping if you like — it is a flexible dish in terms of flavor your want.
Anyway bake the casserole at 350 on middle wrack for about 45 minutes or so. Don’t let the topping burn. Serve hot with syrup used in recipe or make your own from jam or marmalade, a flavor matching liqueur and a little corn syrup heated together.
Always a hit. Leftovers are also delicious cold or quick 8-10 second microwave by the slice/serving.
www.facebook.com
